This invention generally relates to a system for requesting roadside assistance from a vehicle at any location. More specifically, this invention relates to a method for providing a textual description of the remote location of a vehicle where roadside assistance is required.
Systems are currently in use that allow a driver of a vehicle to request roadside assistance such as medical, police, or vehicle repair services. Current systems operate in the following general manner. The vehicle driver initiates a request through an on-board device that generates a signal, which is propagated through cellular communications, indicating that roadside assistance is needed. The vehicle location is determined through a global positioning system, for example. An operator then receives the vehicle location information from the global positioning system along with an indication that there has been a request for assistance. The operator then places a phone call to the driver of the vehicle to determine the location of the vehicle more precisely and to determine exactly what assistance may be needed. In most instances, however, the information given by the driver is inaccurate and unreliable. For those occasions where the driver of the vehicle is unable to provide specific location information, the operator is provided with a map showing the area within the vicinity of the vehicle.
Although existing systems may be useful, they have several shortcomings and drawbacks. For example, there is a need for a system that automatically provides more precise vehicle location information. There is also a need for a system that automatically produces adequate information to an operator in the service being dispatched, without requiring communication directly with the driver of a vehicle over a cellular network. Further, it is desirable to have a system that simplifies the task of an operator in dispatching the requested service provider.
This invention provides a system that avoids the shortcomings and drawbacks of the systems described above. A system designed according to this invention activates a vehicle assistance request upon the push of a single button. Upon activation, the location of the vehicle and the type of emergency service requested is transmitted through a mobile data communications network to a dedicated monitoring center for handling such requests. Once a request signal is received at the monitoring center, vehicle coordinates, which are determined through a global positioning system, are converted to the closest street address and nearest intersections to the vehicle location. After the vehicle location, vehicle identification, subscriber information and the type of emergency service requested is determined, an operator dispatches the appropriate service provider. Importantly, the vehicle location information is provided in a textual format that is readily interpreted and eliminates the guesswork that typically accompanies map reading, which increases the speed and accuracy with which the requested service is provided to the vehicle driver.